Catalog and Backup Sets Disappear

[Stevekat]

I have been using Restrospect to successfully backup Subvolumes on my C: and D: drives to my firewire F: drive for some time. These are automated backups and are not recycling. Suddenly I received an error in my log during a daily backup when the first script related to a D: drive subvolume tried to work:

 

+ Normal backup using AOL 6 on D Drive at 5/17/2003 5:10 AM

TFile::SetPosFromBegin: SetFilePointer failed, F:\Back Up\Files From Drive D\Drive D AOL 6 Set A.rbf.rfc, winerr 6, error -1100

Can't access backup set Drive D AOL 6 Set A, error -1100 (invalid handle)

5/17/2003 5:10:11 AM: Execution incomplete

 

then for subsequent D: drive subvolumes (each subsequent error referred to the then current backup set)...

 

+ Normal backup using Palm on D Drive at 5/17/2003 5:30 AM

Can't add to backup set Drive D Palm Set A, the catalog is locked

5/17/2003 5:30:10 AM: Execution incomplete

 

...the above error relates to scripts for subvolumes on my D: drive backing up to the F: drive.

 

The backup for C: drive subvolumes has been proceeding correctly and without incident.

 

On the F: drive, the backups for the C: and D: drive go to separate folders on the F: drive named: F:\Backup\Files From Drive C and F:\Backup\Files From Drive D.

 

When I went to investigate the problem, all the *active* files in the 'Files From Drive D' backup folder were missing. Inside this folder were two folders I had never seen before named something like 'Tr1ED. TM' and 'TR13ED. TM'. Each was folder name was preceeded by a greek letter that I cannot recreate here. When clicking on each folder an error 'This folder was moved or removed.' appeared.

 

I searched all drives for the missing catalog and backup sets and they do not seem to exist. The .rbf and .rbc files are missing for the D: drive backups in the folder F:\Backup\Files From Drive D. My C: drive backups are fine, operating perfectly, and in place.

 

On days following the initial problem above, this is a typical error when trying to run scripts for backing up the D: drive subvolumes:

 

+ Normal backup using Palm on D Drive at 5/18/2003 5:30 AM

Can't access backup set Drive D Palm Set A, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

5/18/2003 5:30:11 AM: Execution incomplete

 

When I restarted the machine a day or two later, the folder previously described, 'Tr1ED. TM' and 'TR13ED. TM', went way. Today there is a new folder with no name in the F:\Backup\Files From Drive D folder. When I try to open it, I get the same error I received previously with the other two: 'This folder was moved or removed.'

 

So my backup files are gone, both .rbf and .rfc from this one folder. I thought perhaps someone might have breached my computer and moved, removed, or deleted the missing files. I think this unlikely. There are still two pre-existing files in the problem directory (F:\Backup\Files From Drive D folder.) Both of these files (.rbf) were only used during an initial backup some months ago. They were not part of the scripted ongoing backups. I think it unlikely some intruder would be so selective about acting on some but not all of the files in this directory. Also, the only files to disappear were those that were actively part of the scripted backups, which leads me to believe the problem MAY have occured as part of Restrospect Express's operation.

 

Any help, explanation, or fix would be appreciated. Without explanation, it would be difficult to rely on the existing installation of Restrospect Express - knowing there is a possibility all my backup files can disappear at anytime, if this problem is being caused by some action of the program. Perhaps it is some external cause, I just do not know at this point.

 

I am using a PC with Windows 2000 Professional, Retrospect Express 5.15, initial installation for Retrospect Express was to Windows ME, that was then upgraded to Windows 2000 Professional. Restrospect was then upgraded (reinstalled) into Windows 2000 Professional and had been operating normally for months. The PC is an HP and uses and AMD Athlon processor.

 

 

Regards, Steve K.

stevekat@aol.com

[AmyJ]

It sounds more like there may be some kind of corruption on the destination hard drive. Retrospect does not have the ability to throw away or move file backup sets or create the folders that you are seeing.

 

Try checking the drive with a disk utility and/or reformatting the destination drive.

[Stevekat]

I will try this checking the drive, however no other data on the destination drive has been a problem, and only the described active backup sets on the destination drive show these symptons. Older backup sets in the same folder (that has the missing files) are intact, and another folder on the same destination drive that has active other backup sets remains unaffected.